Monday, June 30, 2008

Blueberry Nectarine Crisp and an award

I love crisps of any kind. Apple in the fall, strawberry rhubarb in the spring, and any combo of fresh fruit in the summer. They're quick and easy. The hardest part of making a crisp is waiting for it to come out of the oven! This is a basic crisp recipe. You can use any combination of fruit that you'd like or have on hand. Frozen fruit works equally as well. I used nectarines, blueberries and blackberries in my crisp.2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened; more for the pan3 oz. (2/3 cup) all-purpose flour1/2 cup packed light brown sugar1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon1/4 tsp. table salt2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans3 cups (about 1 lb.) room-temperature blueberries, washed and drained on paper towels (I used half blackberries and half blueberries)3 medium peaches (about 1 lb.), halved, pitted, and sliced 1/2 inch thick (I substituted nectarines)1/4 cup granulated sugar3 Tbs. cornstarch1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

how to make

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 9-inch square metal or ceramic baking pan.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp. of the salt. With your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture readily clumps together when pressed. Mix in the pecans.

In a large bowl, toss the blueberries and peaches. In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar with the cornstarch, nutmeg, and the remaining 1/8 tsp. salt and toss this mixture with the fruit.

Spread the fruit into the prepared baking pan. Pressing the streusel into small lumps, sprinkle it over the fruit. Bake until the fruit is bubbling in the center and the topping is crisp and well browned, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool slightly and serve warm.

serving suggestions:I love this crisp served with vanilla ice cream.

From Fine Cooking

And now an award...

A couple of weeks ago Loulou of the wonderful Chez Loulou nominated me for the Arte Y Pico award. I was so flattered! My very first award woohoo. Thanks Loulou! Your blog always inspires me and makes me wish I lived in the South of France.The terms of the award are:

1. You pick five blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2.Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and the link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4. Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of the award.

There are so many talented people out there with such amazing blogs how do I pick just 5? In the end I decided to go with the blogs that inspire and challenge me to be more creative. So here goes...

Susan at Wild Yeast because I admire her bread making skills and she helps demystify working with yeast. I can't think of anything I like better than freshly baked bread!

Helen at Tartlette because she's a pasrty goddess. Every time I think she can't make a more beautiful confection, she blows me away with a new creation, each with equally beautiful photography.

Dhanddit of Dhanggit Kitchen is somewhere I can always go to find inspiration or just to drool. Her Friday's Dose of Chocolate posts make me want to lick my computer screen:)

Stephanie of a Whisk and a Spoon. Every delicious recipe is accompanied by a magazine cover worthy photo.

Katy at Sugar Laws because I love her writing,her posts usually make me laugh, and her recipes are inventive and fun.